Cittadella fighting for points, tries to break Modena home drought

The last time Cittadella defeated Modena at the Stadio Piercesare Tombolato, Barack Obama was still in his first U.S. presidential term, Manchester City had never won the Premier League and Cittadella head coach Alessandro Dal Canto still coached Padova.

In the last five meetings in Veneto between the two teams, Modena came away victorious twice and settled for three draws. Cittadella’s victory at the Stadio Alberto Braglia in August was the Granata’s first win over Modena in 11 games, dating back to the victory at the Tombolato on Oct. 5, 2011.

Fast forward to today and both Cittadella and Modena face each other once again on Saturday afternoon in a mid table clash on Matchday 27 of Serie B.

One point separates the two sides entering the weekend in the league’s extremely tight standings. Only six points separate 11 teams from the relegation playout zone to the promotion playoff positions. Dal Canto knows the importance of Saturday’s game at the Tombolato: a place where the Granata have collected the least amount of home points than any team in the league.

“We must fortify our identity,” Dal Canto said in his prematch press conference. “We are now a solid team where we can’t make too many mistakes.”

Cittadella is back on the field following last Friday’s defeat to Catanzaro, a game which a defensive error costed the team a result in Calabria. Dal Canto’s men struggled for consistency since the start of the new year, having not strung together two consecutive wins since Boxing Day.

“We lost against a strong team due to a miscommunication,” Dal Canto said, reflecting on last week’s loss. “It can happen in football. We did the right things and we must continue on this path. We must continue to fight point by point with the desire to continue to re-establish ourselves in the standings. With 12 games to go, this is the path to take.”

Modena likewise is lacking for consistency this season. Paolo Mandelli’s side sits three points below the playoff line following last weekend’s draw with Spezia. Since defeating Pisa on Dec. 21, the Canarini have won once in eight games, tallying five draws in the process. Another struggling point this season for Modena comes on the road, where the team is 15th best (1-7-5) on its travels in Serie B.

Mandelli’s side will be without leading assist and goalscorer Antonio Palumbo, who received a second yellow card in the prior match. Cittadella will also be without left midfielder Edoardo Masciangelo due to injury. The 28-year-old started 24 games this season for the Granata, netting one goal and tallying four assists.

Despite the absences, Cittadella looks to snap its Tombolato winless streak against Modena for the first time in nearly 14 years.

“Our attitude does not change. We go to play the game we need and bring home the maximum,” Dal Canto said. “The same goes against Modena. It’s the same Serie B, the only championship in which anything can always happen.”

“The approach will be fundamental, I repeat, as always,” he said. “Modena has different qualities, and they develop the game in a different way compared to Catanzaro. They have very dangerous players up front, who we have to be careful of.”

PHOTO: Massimo Felicetti / A.S. Cittadella